Getty The Green Bay Packers are interested in pairing David Bakhtiari with a dominant young right tackle.
The Green Bay Packers are doing their homework on the 2023 NFL draft, and general manager Brian Gutekunst is bringing in some interesting potential first-round prospects on official visits.
NFL teams are given 30 visits to bring in prospects ahead of the draft, and the Packers had a strong correlation between visits and draft picks in last year’s draft. That has given additional weight to this year’s visits, which have included tight end Darnell Washington and even a surprise quarterback in Hendon Hooker.
Now, the Packers have arranged a visit with one of Hooker’s former teammates at Tennessee. According to Josh Norris with Underdog Fantasy, the Packers are bringing in former Volunteers right tackle Darnell Wright for a top-30 visit.
Tennessee OT Darnell Wright is visiting the Green Bay #Packers
Wright was a four-year starter for the Volunteers, eventually earning first-team All-SEC honors in 2022. The current consensus big board has Wright as the 25th-ranked prospect and the fourth-ranked offensive tackle in this year’s draft class.
If the Packers ended up with Wright, they could potentially have one of the most dominant tackle duos in the league in 2023 with him and David Bakhtiari.
Why the Packers Likely Won’t Take an OL
As intriguing as Wright would be as a first-round prospect for the Packers, the team may simply have too many offensive linemen currently on the roster.
Prior to any additional free agency moves or the draft, the Packers currently have 12 offensive linemen under contract along with restricted free agent Yosh Nijman potentially returning unless a team is willing to give up a second-round pick.
Still, the Packers could use a backup plan if Bakhtiari retires sooner than later. The All-Pro left tackle has struggled staying on the field since his torn ACL at the end of the 2020 season, but has still played at an extremely high level when healthy.
Even if the Packers do end up drafting another offensive linemen, the team has had plenty of success finding hidden gems in the later rounds. Bakhtiari himself was a fourth-round pick, while Elgton Jenkins has established himself as one of the most versatile linemen in the NFL after going 44th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
A lot could change before Week 1 of the 2023 season, and with a visit scheduled, it’s impossible to rule out the Packers taking a top tackle like Wright in the first round of the draft.
Latest on Aaron Rodgers
Packers fans are still anxiously waiting for a resolution on an Aaron Rodgers trade, but the latest rumors have made the situation even more interesting.
Despite the 39-year-old quarterback stating that he wants to play for the Jets next season, the Packers could be listening to offers from other teams. The San Francisco 49ers have been rumored to be willing to offer multiple third-round picks this year along with a first-round pick in 2024 to acquire the four-time MVP, helping him reunite with his favorite team growing up in the area.
If the Jets do end up going through with a trade, Peter King with NBC Sports believes that the second day of the draft, or April 28, would be the deadline to get a deal done. King also mentioned that trade packages for previous quarterbacks including Brett Favre and Joe Montana had been discussed.
There’s still a few more weeks until the draft, so Packers fans could be waiting a little longer to finally see what kind of compensation they’ll be getting in a Rodgers trade.